I came across a tweet earlier, which was not exactly that nice to read, and was in regards to the governments "furlough scheme" a scheme designed to help people, which has been found out to be a big lie, and the government are planning to reduce and perhaps even scrap the furlough scheme, in June, which really is not of a great help to a lot of people who can not access and have not been able to access the scheme. It really is uncomfortable and the tweet I came across literally said the following.

"I can’t survive on thin air! Any suggestions how to live with no income can’t claim benefits for another 5 weeks ... so no money for me since my March pay day... monthly salaried so missed RTI/PAYE submission date... SCANDALOUS!"

And yes it is scandalous in so many ways, it also goes to show that the government is letting you and us down as citizens. And with this Lockdown, does come the fall out, personally I am sceptical of the whole thing and element of Lockdown, you will more than likely have your own thoughts, and that is understandable. 

However what can not be avoided, is the very fact that without economics, damage will be caused. It really is a fine line, dealing with health and wealth. Economy and Economics have been around and used for centuries, along with healthcare systems. At the moment though each country no matter how rightfully or wrongly have handled the pandemic have to find the perfect balance. Sweden have found that balance. New Zealand have also found that Balance and New Zealand did take the option of Lockdown but have eased restrictions and are in talks to open a trans Tasman bubble. Sweden like Taiwan avoided Lockdown, and have also found the balance of wealth and health. 

Both New Zealand and Sweden have socialist governments who protect the rights of their populations, but also care about workforce. 

Throughout the EU jobs are being protected to some degree and a Universal Basic Income, package has been rolled out to each nation within the EU, something which has become a lifeline. Here in the UK, though things have been different, no Universal Basic Income, a Furlough Scheme, that has been about as reliable as a lead balloon, and instead.... Universal Credit, which is also about as much use as.... You guessed it, a balloon made out of lead. 

And yet these systems do not offer any kind of sustainable income of any kind. But this is where things can and could change.

Another method of earning money, is to play a game of Chess. A game of Strategy that can actually pay off, simple strategical thinking and you can win a game of chess in only a few moves. Apply that logic to passive income, and you can actually earn quite a lot of money. However though passive income is largely strategical. A gamble, not so much so, but work with strategy and you can win. Passive Income itself can be quite a good way to make money, all be it organically.

So, where to start? And how can I earn a passive income? Two crucial questions. 

The Isles of Scilly, are a unique island group, that relies on seasonal workers, again for many the many residents, the need for passive income is also something that could be of help. 

A lot of passive income can be generated using an existing computer or laptop. The best thing to do, is to start with a platform such as YouTube. 

Other platforms such as podcasting can also be fantastic to gain a passive income with as well. But lets look at the YouTube model, something that is a fantastic starting point for passive income. Whilst to begin with you might not see anything, time is of the essence, but what is time other than linear.

Starting with the YouTube model (A Model that can also be applied to Podcasting):

One thing that you will need is a Gmail address. Gmail is free, and does allow you to start up a YouTube Channel, not only that but Gmail also gives you access to Google Drive, Blogger, Google Docs and more.

But what you should first and foremost do, is to start up a YouTube Channel. Give it a catchy name, and you are away. Add a channel description as well, and that is it, you are pretty much set up. Yet hold on, no content.... With Google Docs, which is the same as Word, within or for Microsoft, come up with a list, a list of things that you would like to do.

What people want, is usually entertaining content, not to be rick rolled, a trend that died down. Entertaining content and this can be anything from comedy to lifestyle. If you are a gamer with a console then you can stream directly to YouTube, in terms of a beginner, though that list is important, self isolation and quarantine is the best time to think positive, to actually build a better you, to look to the future.

Back on track though, people do not want the news, and entertainment is key here, especially now, a lot more entertainment is appearing on YouTube, so why not start a vlog and mix it with lifestyle hacks, discuss the productivity apps you use and educate people. If you are into photography, then mix that in, surprisingly a lot of photographers on YouTube, like to give there potential customers and other like minded people, a behind the scenes tour of what goes on, in order to capture that fantastic image.

Another popular, element, is food and drink, YouTube itself can be a place to teach people various cooking hacks, tips and tricks..... And with staying home, this could be the best time to inspire others on making dishes with three ingredients? Who knows, you could be the next James Martin.....

Podcasting, is also rather simple, for anyone wanting to get into Podcasting and making a Podcast, then Anchor, is your best friend, and free, from here you can upload to various platforms including Spotify... I shall include links, at the end of this blog post/article, on handy tips and tricks to start earning passive income.

However, with YouTube and Podcasting, you need to have enough listeners, with podcasting to make money, again with YouTube you need to have at least 1,000 subscribers, seems a lot but it can be easily done, just make sure that your content for YouTube is anywhere between ten and fifteen minutes long, that is the base level. You also need at least 4,000 public watch hours, before you can even apply for Channel monetization. Monetization, means that your videos will feature adverts, with these adverts come revenue, for every time someone clicks the advert, you earn money.

I would also recommend, with YouTube, signing up to Google Analytics and Adsense, both fantastic to give an insight into channel trends and demands. What is the most popular content, etc, and do keep a watch on YouTube analytics as well.

But, if you are prepared to put the work in, you can earn enough through adverts and revenue to live on, something that can and could be crucial.

Again, with Anchor, you can turn on, Monetization, which means you can earn money, in a passive sense.

But, things can get even better, with this form of passive income, the bigger your channel, more companies will want to advertise, and strike up brand deals, sponsorship deals and promotions, this is when you can earn even more.

But remember, that interesting and fun content is key for this.....

Links about YouTube and Podcasting inspiration:

• https://creatoracademy.youtube.com/page/lesson/revenue-basics?hl=en-GB
• https://www.shopify.co.uk/blog/198134793-how-to-make-money-on-youtube
• https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/277912
• https://www.podcastinsights.com/make-money-podcasting/

Teach and Educate others

Curious minds love to learn, platforms such as skill share, and other platforms, allow you to submit online courses, that can be downloaded by other people, want to teach a language, teach people how to use hardware, software.... anything, then creating content for online learning platforms can be truly fantastic, and can get you some passive income, incredibly easily, the only thing stopping you, is your mind, find a subject, and educate others, become the teacher, and the more unique the subject, the more people will want to learn.

Blogging:

Writing is one of the most therapeutic methods of escaping the world, and with platforms such as Blogger, WordPress alongside with Medium, are both fantastic, Blogger is more or less owned by Google, but non the less, it offers the ability to earn money via monetization. Medium however works slightly differently, Medium is more or less, Twitter, but with more words that you can type. WordPress.com is the free version, however for less than £5.00 it is possible to build a blog using WordPress and some Hosting, again plenty of tutorials are out there, and WordPress with hosting and a domain name, is the best option. However, Wix and Squarespace, are also two fantastic platforms for blogging.

And, is it the right thing to do? Starting a Blog, during times of a pandemic? Yes, it is written history, and it can also earn some nice passive income for you.

Final thoughts:

Whilst we are still in Lockdown, rightly or wrongly.... It is perhaps the best time, to start looking at passive income, work with the strategical elements, work with trends and observe, what other material is out there, research blogs, content and teaching platforms, and it is something that can help you, earn some money, something which is important both now and within the future. And I have a feeling, that more people will be looking at passive income methods, going forward within the next number of months.

And whilst there are arguments for and against the Lockdown. Economies are linked with lives, without economy comes loss of life.... a harsh but true fact. 

The Media and Blowing things out of proportion.

With the UK in it's fifth week of Lockdown, I have been largely ignoring the news as much as I can do, something that I urge a lot of people to do. People got fed up of Brexit, last year and Sky News, launched a news channel that was completely free of Brexit.

Now we are faced with a pandemic and the media are full of fear-mongering.... Surely the media could find other news and positive stories happening around the globe, surely news channels and media outlets could launch stand alone news channels and news outlets that do not cover the pandemic, it really would not be hard to do, you managed to do it with Brexit, when we got a little bored of Brexit, now people are bored of the pandemic. We want positive news.

I earlier took a little look at the news, yes a little look and it really was repulsive and full of scare-mongering.

So far both journalists and politicians have been fantastic at installing fear into us all, which is sad, especially within a day and an age where we are perhaps even more reliant on technology than ever before. Was fake news a thing during the Spanish Flu pandemic? Simple answer is no. Now it is. Finland educates it's younger generation and it's population in general to spot fake news. Finland has even taken the approach to enlist it's social media influencers to help stop the spread of fake news.

America on the other hand is a hot bed for fake news, having said that the UK is not that much of a hot bed for fake news, but even so, fake news within the UK is still in existent.

And no more so than today, where a headline going around the country, is of and i quote "A New Disease within children that displays itself like COVID"

How low can the media get? They are already distrusted enough which is a natural reaction during a global emergency, but this new disease is not new.

Rare; yes..... New..... No. It is actually Kawasaki Disease, Earlier on today, Matt Hancock was seen as a health expert... I shall leave that open to discussion, talking about this new disease, sorry Kawasaki Disease, as being something new. It quite simply as I have stated, not new, just rare.

Now if that is not fear mongering then I do not know what is. Kawasaki Disease is one of those things that actually happens and sadly occurs when the immune system is lowered. The immune system generally needs to be healthy regardless of.

However with the pandemic and the Lockdown, people's immune systems including those of children will becoming lowered.

And yet, somehow the media like to push fear at the population. The same kind of fear that happened during world war two, the kind of fear that creates a two tier society, that stirs up hatred of people. A clever move? No, to keep people safe? No?

What I also find astonishing is that the media love in general to blow things out of proportion alongside with politicians.

But, Kawasaki Disease, which I repeat is not new, is something that is an effect of having a lowered immune system, and surely that could be something to do with being in Lockdown? An indirect lowered immune system struggling because of a lack of healthy immunity, surely this is something that needs to be addressed? Also where is the evidence to suggest that Lockdown actually does work?

Who knows.

But please, I beg the media in general, such as Peston, Laura Kuenssberg and other journalists, to stop putting a spin on what is in effect nature. The world at the end of the day will never be virus free, instead let nature do what nature does, and stop printing and spreading fear into people.

Is it any wonder that there is so much distrust, and when we see the above, with a new disease that is not new, it is clear proof that you are just scaring people.

Stop it, as it really is not true, again your news articles and reports are simply adding to people's anxiety which again can result in unhealthy mental health, lowered immunity and anxiety.

Instead, try to promote good news and positive news, it really is not difficult is it?

Podcasts, Something Different for Lockdown.

With so many people working from home, finding the balance between concentration on work projects and relaxation, after work or when taking a break from work. That perfect balance could be a walk around the garden, catching up on a Netflix episode or something on Amazon Prime. Perhaps even listening to music or even a spot of gaming. The Sims and City Building games are perfect for relaxation; however there is something else that can be the opposite of music or television and gaming.... That is spoken word.

When I say, spoken word, I am not talking about audio books, although they can be just as fantastic to listen to.

What I am talking about are Podcasts. Something that are really becoming slightly bigger and more accessible for everyone. Apple I suppose decided to make podcasts actually "known" and the iPod made them even more popular. If it was not for apple, then would podcasts have actually become popular. They to begin with did remain popular, but then they dipped in popularity and podcasts became less popular.

However with various new advancements within technology, podcasts have gained a new following and have undergone a major regeneration. It is also easier now, to produce and release a podcast, and even more you can do it on your smartphone with a smartphone app, such as Anchor.

With apps such as Anchor, it means that you can have a potential passive income, with monetisation. Anyway moving on from the passive income element, that is something else I shall cover on here.

But podcasts though are the ideal way to relax with. Music yes is fantastic to listen to, but if you want something calming, podcasts are the ideal way to unwind and relax during these incredibly strange times.

The other thing with podcasts is variety, the sheer amount of variety and issues that are covered within podcasts are as broad as they are wide, and below are a number of various podcasts and topics that are covered within these fantastic audio shows that really can and do open up curious minds both young and old.

• Politics
• Science
• Music
• Technology
• Arts
• Spoken Word, Drama
• Educational and Children's

The list really does go on. Only yesterday I was listening to a Radio 4 Podcast, which is called Open Country, a fascinating podcast about the countryside, life within semi rural areas from celebrity figures, truly relaxing to listen to. 

But how exactly do I go about listening to podcasts? Accessing podcasts are incredibly easy. And below are some methods of how to access podcasts. 

• Google Podcasts - Perhaps the easiest way of accessing podcasts is through the Google Podcasts application, which can be downloaded for both Android and IOS. Plus even better you can listen to podcasts, via your browser, as long as you are signed into your gmail account. Easy and Simple is the application, and the best thing, Google Podcasts is designed to work alongside your smart speakers. Ideal for that end of work relaxation period. 
• BBC Sounds App - Again another free application, the BBC Sounds App, works on Android and IOS plus through any web browser.
• Spotify - Again this is another fantastic piece of software, yes you can pay £9.99 a month or £4.99 a month if you have a .ac.uk email address and are within education. But Spotify has everything. Music and Podcasts, the software for Apple and Windows is fantastic and easy to navigate, plus take advantage of the Android and IOS applications. Pure bliss.
• Pocket Casts - More in depth in terms of a podcast app, but at least there is a free version, although it does come with adverts. Want to avoid adverts then you can pay a small subscription.
• Blinkist - Blinkist is a more hybrid approach. Whilst you could argue that it is a podcast application, it takes the best of both worlds, from Audible (An audio book player), and mixes this with short audio story element with podcasts. Something that could be useful between work, whilst on a break. Best of all each short story fact or fiction is sixteen minutes long. Although it might be worth subscribing. Oh and it works in conjunction with your smart speaker.

Yes there is music, YouTube and other streaming services, but lets not forget the hidden gem of podcasts.... Interesting and thought provoking for escapism during these strange times, and something that we should all be doing, escaping the news, focusing on the positives and listening to podcasts.

A Truly Heartwarming Story of Positives and Human Compassion. How Kia Tobin lifted the nations Hearts.

Good news and Positive news, is something that is truly heartwarming, and it provides us escapism and raises our spirits. What I am going to tell you, in this article, is a heartwarming true story, that shows the positives of human compassion, regardless of age ranges or gaps, and how one 17 year old carer in Preston, bought a tear to all of our eyes.

We as a society in the UK, are quick to judge, we are quick to judge people by their age, by their sex, by their sexuality, by the way they look, by their religion, by their beliefs. It really is a sad and sordid state of looking at society in general.

Society being the human race, the human race being a species of mammal. Much like Whales and Dolphins, who are also mammals.... Let that sink in for a minute.

17 Year Old, Kia Tobin, a care assistant working at Thistleton Lodge Care Home, in Preston had noticed, that 94 year old naval veteran Ken Benbow, would go to bed, with a picture of his wife Ada, in a photo frame, on a table, next to his bedside. What happened next was incredibly amazing.... Quite possibly one of the most touching things that I have seen in a long time. Human compassion but on another level.

Care assistant Kia Tobin, was filmed, one morning giving a truly special and amazing present to veteran, Ken Benbow. She walked in, to his room and presented him with a cushion, a printed cushion with a photograph of his wife, the same one that is in the photo frame, next to his bedside. As can be expected, tears of happiness, sadness and a time for pondering.

What it shows, is that as a society, we should perhaps not be so quick to judge others. At 17 Years old and perhaps not in a Pandemic, the media would have completely ignored these actions, that Kia Tobin, went to. Perhaps if there was not a Pandemic, society would have judged Kia Tobin, as a "typical teenage girl".

How far removed could those people be, could the media be even? Incredibly far removed is the simple answer.

For what society forgets is that we are all human, regardless of our skin tones, regardless of our looks, religion and beliefs and as the sun goes down, we all bleed the same red blood. A strange but true outlook, that society should look at before being so quick to judge.

And here is the thing, Kia Tobin, is one of many care assistants, who is a human being, showing extraordinary compassion during extraordinary times, and it is these people that we should cherish as we look to the future and come out of this pandemic. We as a society should put down arms, weapons and truly fund healthcare, not war, fund proper healthcare systems that can be used within the future, perhaps even we can learn from our past, and build a better future, one where the front line doctors, nurses and care assistants, get the pay that they truly deserve.

Kia, yesterday put a tweet out asking opinions, on something to do with perhaps starting a business, in the future, of doing printed memory, cushions, something that, in my opinion she should do..... An intelligent mind, that of an angel and a friendship that was truly shining through with Ken Benbow 

I shall link the article below, about this amazing young lady,

https://www.lep.co.uk/news/lancashire-d-day-veteran-ken-benbow-overcome-emotion-he-receives-touching-gift-remember-beautiful-caring-wife-ada-2544694

Along with the incredibly touching interview that she gave, to Good Morning Britain. If there is anyone who deserves recognition for this, then it is definitely young care assistants such as Kia Tobin.... And a society change in which people do not pre-judge others, regardless of age.

At 17, she is a true angel and an inspiration to others around the country. Someone worthy of recognition and perhaps it is now time to recognise these amazing young people, without the media painting a negative picture of them.

Lockdown Music Review: Mary Chapin Carpenter

Sometimes the best medicine in the world is not something that is "pharmaceutical" but is more natural. Yes we might be having strange dreams, suffering from insomnia and worrying, a good way to stop worrying is to avoid the news, and do what you love to do anyway, re-discover that old hobby, talk to friends, make time to complete that project, it really does go without saying.

But one of the best medicines available within the world at the moment, is the medicine of Music, something that is a fantastic communication method as well as a language that is perhaps more universal than Esperanto was thought to be. It goes without saying that Music itself has healing properties, it can also relax and ease our minds of worry and provides escapism from the world. Just listening to Albatross by Fleetwood Mac, has the properties to relax us and calm us. Okay they might have been slightly high when the recorded the track, but it is purely instrumental and simple within the style that it has been recorded. Whenever I listen to it, I am transferred in thought to a more peaceful place away from worry, away from the fractured world and society that we live in, to a place of peace and tranquillity, to a place where sandy beaches and the shore gently laps with waves. And it remains even today one of the most unique pieces of music ever recorded.

That is what is great about music, it is also a work of art and an art form within its own rights. Despite Albatross taking my mind to a place of Escapism, an Albatross is quite a large sea bird, and from a shoreline with lapping waves, it also makes you think that you are flying, again flight is escapism, and looking down on the world as we soar above it, is an ideal that a lot of us at the moment probably wish we could be doing. Ah, how we can continue to dream on.

I for quite a while now, have become quite accustomed to listening to an Artist, from America, called "Mary Chapin Carpenter" And I have a guess that a lot of readers of this blog, have possibly never heard of Mary Chapin Carpenter, I for one had not heard of her, until I stumbled across a track by her, called "What does it mean to travel" and since then I have kind of become hooked on her unique musical style and voice. Whilst she hails from America, her music has a mixture, no a multitude of different styles, which all come together to make something different, something that is escapism and best of all pure sounding.

Now whilst the American singer and songwriter world gave us the likes of James Taylor, who broke through to international recognition, Mary Chapin Carpenter, remained silent, definitely within Europe to some degree. Only recently have people within Europe discovered her music, much like me.

With a New Jersey background her style of music is one that borders both Americana and Folk, plus Singer Songwriter, all into one whole swoop and places it nicely under an umbrella, it really is perhaps one of the nicest sounds that I have come across in a long time. The track that originally got me into her music, is the song "What does it mean to travel" which I shall post, for you to listen to.

Stunning, Haunting almost isn't it? And it is one with questions, questions about being alone, but taking the time to explore and seek out new places. Something that a lot of people will be keen to do, when Lockdown is ended.

The way the track is produced is simple, a guitar and some light drum patterns make it mellow and ideal for relaxation, ideal for long summer days and light nights. Yes it really is music to pass the time with during Lockdown.

Having listened to her music for quite some time, it is perfect and a blend of styles and instrumental patterns develop to shape the songs, songs that reflect the personal life and somewhat turbulent life that Mary Chapin Carpenter, has lived through, including her battles with depression. Something that a lot of musicians are sadly not capable of doing due to the media hounding them, something that the media even today carry on doing.

Just remember the hashtag #BeKind, something that was long forgotten after the sad death of Caroline Flack.

Reserved, is Mary Chapin Carpenter, with the way she sings, but she also wants us the listener to experience what she has experienced, a strange way of looking at things, but reviewing music can be a strange thing to do as well. 

"Sometimes Just The Sky" was the first album of hers that I listened to, and whilst it is the most recent album, it flows, it flows with aspects of self help, self isolation, and personal experiences that can help us in the long run become better throughout life.

All of her discography echoes self help and how to be better at all parts of life that we are in, and no matter what part of life we are in, her singing just helps with that. A unique self help book, in song form, being communicated through song instead of by pure reading that we would normally do. Relationships, Travel, Social Isolation (before it became a coined phrase) along with physical distancing, all of the songs on each of her albums deal with life, including some of life's questions that are answered in a unique song form.

But amazingly, the songs about relationships involve songs about break-ups and love, all be it sung with a unique style, but the songs about love are sung within a platonic way, something that these days, should be discussed. Platonic relationships are something that we should all have, and are the best kinds of relationships no matter what.

A piece of Carol King, also shines through, so if you like Carol King, Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor, I dare say as well, but Leonard Cohen, then you are in for a treat with Mary Chapin Carpenter, add her to your music collection, you really will not be disappointed.

But it is this style of music that I really do like, the obscure, and yes I do like a whole plethora of music, but Chapin Carpenter, really is a diamond gleaming and is a pleasure to listen to.

And within these strange times, we really need music like this to listen to, music for pure relaxation and music that is ideal for anyone working from home, who wants to switch off, and get work done.

I must also point out, that Mary Chapin Carpenter, has a fantastic YouTube Channel where she has been uploading music to, guitar sessions, and this is fantastic, so give her a listen to, for escapism and transporting to somewhere that holds good memories, positive energies surely is the best place to be, and the style of her music helps to take us there.

Please, Please do give her a listen.....

A voice of calm, a voice that can teach us all something about life, our own life and others in life, a voice of peace and harmony.

A full 10/10 and a musician and artist who is yet to become, more discovered over here in the UK.

Things that are NOT cancelled

I want to share a little something. A friend of mine, sent me the following, which is a list of things that are not cancelled, which we should all be looking at, the best things in life are free and these are some of the best free things that you have with you at the moment.

So Let's embrace what we have.